New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) was yesterday elected party chairman after beating Taipei City Councilor Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) in a chairperson by-election.
Speaking at a news conference after the vote, Hsu said he had originally wanted to convince former chairman Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) to reassume the position, but changed his mind after Chiu urged him to take over the chairmanship.
On Tuesday, the party’s decisionmaking committee failed to elect a leader after members voted 4-7 against Lin, the only candidate to have registered for the vote by its Sunday deadline.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Yesterday, seven committee members voted for Hsu, while five voted for Lin, NPP spokesman Chen Chih-ming (陳志明) said.
While the party has yet to schedule a date for Hsu to officially assume the chairmanship, he would immediately take over party affairs, Chen said.
“The NPP’s future strategies will mostly be an extension of what Chiu has laid down,” Hsu said.
The NPP would adhere to its belief in justice and fairness, and seek to carve out a new path different from those of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he said.
While the NPP has faced a number of challenges from within and outside, he would swiftly and effectively prepare the party for the presidential and legislative elections in January next year, he added.
The NPP’s goal for the legislative elections is to perform better than it did in the 2016 elections, he said.
Specifically, he hopes the NPP would receive more than 1 million party votes, he said.
The NPP would nominate more legislative candidates in different constituencies and hopes to continue to play a pivotal role at the legislature, he added.
Asked if he would collaborate with the DPP or other pan-green parties in the elections, Hsu said he would keep an open mind.
“I am always ready to talk and can meet as many times as needed,” he said, adding that he hopes to meet with DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to discuss collaborating in the elections as well as at the legislature.
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